The Heat of Summer (MikaYuu)

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱɪx - ᴄʜɪʟᴅɪꜱʜ

"Thank you for visiting Kyun Kyun Cubby Café! Here's the drink you requested, please enjoy it to your heart's content!"

Yuu glanced up from the cool wooden table he was lying on. A waitress in a ridiculous bear onesie was standing there, the tip of her nose painted black, matching the three stripes adorning each of her cheeks. Light brown hair spilled out the right side of her hood, the rest of it braided and clasped with a crisscrossed hairpin. 

She set down a glass of lemonade and hurried off to the next customer. The ice cubes floating at its surface clinked as they bumped against each other, a clear plastic straw sticking out of the cup. Yuu swiped it up eagerly, enjoying the chill against his palms.

Mika had led them here—to this small, cozy café, its plank floors and simple arrangement breeding a welcoming atmosphere. Plush bears, bear stickers, and bear figurines adorned its entirety. Four cushiony booths were placed on either side of the establishment, and a few bear-shaped stools were situated in front of the counter. What Yuu most appreciated about it all, though, was the air conditioning. The drafts of wind threaded through his hair and relieved his overheated skin... although the sentiment was slightly dampened by the fact that the AC here was called "bear's breath." 

Mika was sitting across from him, resting his cheek in the palm of his hand as he watched the other boy enjoy his lemonade. Yuu didn't notice until he set his glass down on the table, a satisfied "ahh" escaping his mouth. As soon as he caught Mika's eye, he bristled habitually. 

"What're you staring at?" he demanded.

Mika averted his gaze, but a small smile played on his lips. "Nothing."

"Seriously, what is it? You know I've already had enough of Guren's secrets." 

"Okay, okay." The blond pushed his mouth against his hand in a half-hearted attempt to hide his amusement. "I was just thinking that you're kind of childish." 

"Insulting me, huh?" Yuu ground the plastic straw between his teeth. 

"Not in a bad way." Mika shifted his hand back to his cheek, upturned lips red from pressing his fingers into them. "It's easy to be around you, is what I mean."

He thought he'd cooled down by now, but strangely, Yuu's face still felt a little hot. He took another forceful sip of lemonade. "Whatever.... You wanted to talk about that Asuramaru kid, right?" 

"Ashera. But yes." Mika's expression grew serious. "Who was he with? What were they doing? Where did they go? Tell me everything."

Yuu had no problem with that. He babbled out the whole story, from Asuramaru sleeping on the bench, to his friends' arrival and their strange attire, to how he wouldn't be able to drink Sprite for months without recalling Noya's dumb face. 

Well, he may have left out a few things. Like crashing into the leg of the bench and being called a pervert. But why bother with the trivialities?

"Noya. He and Ashera met last year." Mika frowned. "I don't know the other two."

"Maybe they really are a gang," Yuu suggested a little too casually. "He even mentioned a base. Should we track 'em down?" 

"There's no need to bother yourself with my problems, Yuu-chan. Don't worry about it."

Again with that crap. Yuu was the one who had offered, so why would it bother him to do it? He was bored out of his mind at home, anyway. 

Before he could express those thoughts, a playful smile lit up Mika's face. "So... you're a professional baseball player?"

Yuu had emphasized that part of the story, and his irritation was instantly replaced by smug confidence. "Well, yeah. Didn't you witness my expertise firsthand the day we met?"